What is special about the exclusive collection for NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER?
The capsule collections for both NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER have been conceived to stimulate the imagination and dreams of moments of joy, relaxation and wellbeing in our lives. They were designed in full lockdown, so even though we were extremely restricted when designing, we knew we wanted and needed to convey a lot of passion and emotion within few garments.
The collections are special to me as they offer optimism and clothes to wear in our future lives beyond this chaos when we can enjoy the world and travel again. This dream is quickly becoming a reality which is exciting. They are designed for good times in mind, and I hope they bring joy.
Can you tell us more about the inspiration for these collections?
The inspiration distils and heightens people’s vision of summer. I asked my team ‘what do we yearn for of our Summer?’ and it was clear that surf, palm trees and tropical beaches were top of mind. We then set out creating scrapbooks of summer dreams. We playfully explored clichés and postcard slogans like ‘Wish You Were Here’ – this seems so symbolic and appropriate now. The notion and emotion of going out to dance and celebrate the clichéd symbols of summer was a story I wanted to tell right now when we need it most. The laidback lifestyle of LA, its beach houses, palm trees, and pink sunsets, was also a key source of inspiration and played a huge role, the emotion of these holiday scrapbooks is seen across the collections. It’s a simple idea yet it puts you in a good mood.
What are the key elements of these collections that you feel will resonate with customers right now?
It is impossible for me to single out one key piece that is emblematic of these collections or I will resonate more than the others. We designed all elements with the intention that they would meet the moment and emotion we sought to convey in their own way.
For these collections, we designed to have easy, relaxed, and comfortable pieces. A carefree summery state of mind, one we all need these days and that looks soon become a reality.
Why create an exclusive with NET-A-PORTER & MR PORTER and how would you summarise the partnership?
The invitation to partner with NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER on these capsule collections was a stimulating project for us to take on in these confusing days. It is even the first time that we have designed a specific collection with a retail partner for men and this was even more significant as MR PORTER is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. We have greatly enjoyed having this opportunity to translate and adapt the story of our collection this season to this selection of garments.
